BOBBY BRILL

Behind the Block 13 Mural Project: Meet Bobby Brill

The talented students behind the Block 13 Courtyard mural are fortunate to have a team of local artists from the Academy of Art University serving as mentors and educators. 

We thought we’d shine a light on these artist-educators, starting with Bobby Brill who is chronicling the project through video and an upcoming podcast. “My goal is to capture the experience of the class,” says Bobby. “To show how this mural is important to the community, the public and these students.”

In preparation, Bobby has been shooting tons of video and still photos to give him the widest range of options when he’s assembling the story. He serves as producer, director and chief videographer for the project.

“When people think of art, they think of fine art. A mural is one of those art forms that exists outside of the museum world. I think people seeing what this form of art is and how it gets done will find it fascinating.

“Such as how much this form of art costs, how it can be done safely, especially the portions that require ladders or scaffolding. How it works as a business model. And the work that goes on behind the scenes – the technical skill required, the hard work and sweat and the ability to explore creatively in a large space.”

His goal is to have the video ready by February with the podcast to follow soon after.

What is Bobby’s favorite part of the project so far? “Seeing the actual creative process is the most fascinating part of the project. Big gray walls that at first, only have swatches of color. Then gradually, you start to see the fine details, the depth, and dimensions, the shear scale.”

Another thing Bobby enjoys is watching teams of artists approach a mural. It is more public and personal. There is a lot of coordination that has to go into the project – dozens of people working toward a single goal. Everyone has a different approach that all come together in a beautiful work of art that represents a collective vision.

 “For artists, getting their work seen is one of the hardest parts of their career. The holy grail is for someone to see your work and this mural introduces others to their artistry and artistic vision. A mural allows the artist to tell a story in a unique medium, one that changes by the time of day, the lighting and even the weather. Working with others, inspiring others and being inspired as others is what your life as an artist is all about.”